'I'm an older caveman now': UFC's biggest draw Brock Lesnar commits to WWE
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Version 0 of 1. The former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has ruled out a return to mixed martial arts, ending three years of speculation about the biggest pay-per-view star in the sport’s history. Lesnar announced he had re-signed with the WWE in an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday. “It was a very hard decision at this stage of my career,” said Lesnar, who had a 5-3 record in UFC. “The fighter inside me wants to compete. The father and husband – I’m an older caveman now. I make wiser caveman decisions. So, I’m here to say my legacy in the Octagon is over. “It was a hard decision to make. It took me a year. I’ve thought about this for a year. At the end of the day, it’s all about me wanting to have fun. The last two-and-a-half months I’ve been training to get back into the Octagon. I felt physically great, but something lacked mentally – and that’s not good.” Lesnar, who is now 37, was in training for a UFC return as recently as last week despite his conflicted feelings about the move. He finally decided to stick with professional wrestling only in the past two days. Lesnar says he turned down an offer worth “10 times” what he was making earlier in his MMA career. The UFC even attempted to increase its offer when he phoned its executives about his decision while driving into the parking garage at ESPN’s downtown Los Angeles studios. Lesner started out his wrestling career in 2000 before making his UFC debut in 2007, winning the heavyweight title in 2008. His successful title defence against Frank Mir is still the highest-selling UFC pay-per-view event in history. However, an intestinal disorder put him out of action for a year and he lost two of his three fights after his comeback. He returned to WWE in 2012. “I could go back to the Octagon, but what am I going to gain? I was the UFC heavyweight champion of the world,” added Lesner. “Due to my illness, my career got cut short. That’s God telling you, ‘it’s time to move on.’” |